Before dawn on Tuesday, a striking view will be visible in the sky as the bright planet Jupiter appears extremely close to the waning Moon. According to the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe (SAC), this event is rare and will not be repeated in nearly eight years. The best time to see the conjunction from Puerto Rico will be between 4:15 AM and 4:20 AM, when Jupiter will appear to almost touch the Moon, said Eddie Irizarry, vice president of the SAC.
From other areas, such as parts of Cuba, Florida, and several eastern and northeastern US states, the Moon will even be seen to cover or occult Jupiter before dawn on Tuesday. The SAC noted that from Puerto Rico, the extreme closeness of Jupiter to the Moon will not be surpassed until June 11, 2034, when a partial occultation of Jupiter will occur, and the next time the Moon will totally cover Jupiter from Puerto Rico at night will be on August 16, 2092.